Recently there has emerged a strong frontal attack against the
pre-tribulational return of Christ, written by one who claims to have held that view and
preached it with conviction for some thirty-five years. It is entitled The Pre-Wrath
Rapture of the Church and is written by Marvin Rosenthal, former executive director of
Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. His 317-page book is generally well-written and is
attractively published, with twenty-five charts to clarify the various millennial and
tribulational views, plus his own unique and somewhat complex position on the timing of
the rapture.

Rosenthal is clearly a Bible-believing, conservative, and
pre-millennial servant of Jesus Christ. He calls himself a "biblicist" who,
though "not a scholar," has invested his life in the preaching of the
"whole counsel of God." Under the prodding of a friend he began to re-examine
his view of the rapture, particularly in its relationship to the coming Tribulation. The
view he now espouses is no longer pre-tribulationalism nor is it mid-tribulationalism or
post-tribulationalism, but one he calls "Pre-Wrath Rapturism." Though it is
radically different from standard viewpoints, Rosenthal predicts that within five years it
will be a "recognized position," and in fifteen years "a major position of
the believing church." This reviewer sincerely questions the validity of that
ambition and the necessity of adding a fifth position to an already overcrowded rapture
debate.

The primary thrust of the book is that the church of Jesus Christ will
be removed from the earth by the rapture before the outpouring of the "wrath of
God," and that the correct timing of the rapture places it just before the fourth
quarter of the "70th week of Daniel." Speaking of God's "final wrath on an
unbelieving world," he declares that "God's children will be delivered from that
day. That is the "blessed hope." Such a change of emphasis is unfortunate, for
it moves the "blessed hope" of the believer away from the expectation and joy of
being in the presence of Christ to the more human desire of escaping outpoured wrath in
the coming judgment.

Nor does this "pre-wrath" emphasis contribute anything
particularly new. Rosenthal freely admits that all pre-tribulationists and
mid-tribulationists expect to be caught up by the rapture before the outpoured wrath of
God in the coming Tribulation. He points out that even Gundry's variety of
post-tribulationism could qualify as "pre-wrath," though Gundry does not use
that designation. Gundry simply declares "the theological necessity that God's wrath
not touch a saved person."

Further research would have revealed a wider agreement among
post-tribulationists. Ladd declares, "Everyone must agree that it is inconceivable
that the Church will suffer the wrath of God." Payne comments,
"Post-tribulationists unite in affirming that, 'The church will endure the wrath of
men... but will not suffer the wrath of God.'" Katterjohn writes, "Christians,
it must be remembered, will be removed before God's final anger falls." Kimball says,
"The Scriptures clearly teach us that the church will never suffer from the wrath of
God... This point is agreed upon by all." And even so strong a post-tribulationist as
Reese states, "The essential fact for us to know is that Jesus by His death, has
delivered us from the wrath to come, and that immediately prior to the full revelation of
divine wrath, He will gather the saints to Himself." So the mere declaration that the
rapture will be "pre-wrath" is hardly a spectacular discovery. It is solidly
affirmed by almost all of pre-, mid-, and post-tribulational persuasion because of the
clear declarations of Scripture at this point.

A NEW POSITION FOR THE RAPTURE

It is evident that the timing of the rapture, and not its relationship
to divine wrath, is uppermost in the mind of Rosenthal in the writing of this volume.
Coming perilously close to advocating a date-setting scheme, he defends with enthusiasm
the view that the rapture will be three quarters of the way through the "70th week of
Daniel," with divine wrath to be found only in the final quarter. His evidence for
such conclusions is lengthy and complicated, based squarely on his personal division of
the "70th week of Daniel" into three clearly recognizable periods, the
"Beginning of Sorrows," the "Great Tribulation," and the frequently
predicted "Day of the Lord."

The rapture is then placed immediately between the Great Tribulation
and the Day of the Lord, which according to his definitions is after the Tribulation but
is still "pre-wrath." Rosenthal proceeds to support these views by some 200
pages of strong and somewhat overbearing argumentation, with a sharp attack against any
response that reminds him of his previous pre-tribulational position.

His terminology and unique division of the "70th week" are
central to his argument. He tries, with several notable exceptions on his own part, not to
use the expression "the Tribulation period," saying that it contains a
pre-disposition toward pre-tribulationism when it is used of the entire 70th week of
Daniel. Rather, he prefers to call the coming seven years of judgment and wrath the
"70th week of Daniel." These seven years he then subdivides as follows: (1) The
first three and one-half years are "the Beginning of Sorrows." (2) The first
half of the second three and one-half years (which would be one and three-fourths years or
21 months), he calls "the Great Tribulation." (3) The final twenty-one months,
the fourth quarter of the seven years, he designates as "the Day of the Lord,"
in which is found the "wrath of God." Just before the day of the Lord, at the
sounding of the "seventh trumpet," the rapture will occur. Hence the rapture of
the church takes place between the third and fourth quarters of the 70th week of Daniel,
just before the outpouring of the wrath of God. Therefore to Rosenthal the rapture will
take place at a sharply defined moment of prophecy, and it is post-tribulational but
pre-wrath.

The thirteen chapters of argumentation in support of these claims are
frequently tedious and repetitious, with a dogmatism that earns the book a unique place in
the literature of the rapture debate. Rosenthal sets forth Walvoord, Pentecost, and Ryrie
as his former "heroes" in matters of eschatology, whose logic in his judgment is
now faulty and whose exegesis can no longer be trusted. Rosenthal's own opinions, however,
are "indisputable" and "beyond refutation." His facts "cannot be
set aside," and for his primary conclusions "there simply is no question."
The doctrine of imminence, which he calls "a major pillar of pre-tribulation
rapturism," is "untenable," and that is a "clear, unassailable truth
that cannot be dismissed." He declares that pre-tribulationists are locked in an
"unsolvable dilemma." Such dogmatism is, to say the least, both unwholesome and
irritating, for many of his statements warrant further investigation.

In all fairness it must be noted that there are some excellent sections
in the book, especially chapters two and four through seven. Interestingly they are almost
wholly irrelevant to the timing of the rapture. Here much information is given on the
history of Israel, together with her customs, feasts, and leadership. He discusses the
credentials of the King and the certainty of Christ's second coming. Other subjects range
from the virgin birth of Christ to modern humanism---themes taken no doubt from the
author's Bible lectures. Perhaps the desired impression is that since the author appears
to be gracious, godly, and biblical, he would assuredly be a safe and seasoned student of
Bible prophecy, bringing trustworthy conclusions concerning the blessed hope of the
church. The latter, however, is not the case.

While it is an unhappy task to bring critical evaluation of a book
where on many points there is substantial agreement, as graciously as possible it must be
done. It should be recognized, though, that when an argument is as lengthy and complex as
this, it would take a new volume of equal length to examine every detail. The following
are some of the salient points that should be carefully evaluated by all serious readers
of this volume.

THE TRIBULATION PERIOD

As previously noted, Rosenthal declares that the designation "the
Tribulation period" should be omitted from any honest consideration of the time of
the rapture. It cannot be used as a synonym for the entire 70th week of Daniel, for to do
so, he says, predisposes one to pre-tribulationism, and the expression "Tribulation
period" has no biblical justification. He believes that pre-tribulationists have
coined a technical phrase and superimposed it on the Scriptures. If such is the case, it
is fair to ask, where is Rosenthal's biblical justification for the new expression
"pre-wrath rapturism?" It is not found in Scripture and comes on the scene as
recently as 1990.

Admittedly the King James Version of the Bible does not use the precise
expression "Tribulation period," nor does it use the terms "rapture,"
"second coming," and "pre-millennial." But on at least six occasions
it does speak of a coming "tribulation," and Rosenthal freely admits that it is
a period to be measured in years. Like the other terms, "Tribulation period" is
simply a widely used term of convenience, less cumbersome and less in need of explanation
than the expression "70th week of Daniel," which also does not appear in the
Bible. Indeed Rosenthal himself uses the term "Tribulation period," and his own
publisher uses it in the promotional material on the back cover of the book. However, his
attempt to cancel the expression "Tribulation period" helps pave the way for his
novel three-fold subdivision of the same actual period of seven years.

THE BEGINNING OF SORROWS

Rosenthal calls the first three and one-half years of Daniel's 70th
week by the name "the beginning of sorrows," borrowed from Matthew 24:8, for he
finds a rough parallel between the Matthew passage and the first four seal judgments of
Revelation 6. But similarity is not identity, and the likeness is superficial. There is a
world of difference between the "many deceivers" of Matthew and the devil's
Antichrist of Revelation; between the "wars and rumors of wars" and battles so
powerful they take peace from the whole earth; between the earthquakes of Matthew and the
cosmic disturbances of Revelation 6:12-13. Nor does Matthew 24:4-8 even vaguely hint of
martyred saints in heaven, nor of an outpouring of God's wrath so severe that a fourth of
the earth's population is slain.

A view that deserves serious consideration is that "the beginning
of sorrows" describes the prevailing conditions on earth at the close of the Church
Age, before the rapture and the Tribulation. For those who wonder if these descriptions
are relevant today, for famine, one may note Ethiopia. For pestilence, AIDS is evident.
For earthquakes, one need only recall San Francisco and many other unfortunate cities. For
nations rising up against nation, two World Wars testify to that reality. Calling the
early half of the Tribulation "the beginning of sorrows" in Rosenthal's book is
merely a device to minimize this period and shift what he calls the "Great
Tribulation" to the third quarter of Daniel's 70th week.

It is a serious error to claim, as Rosenthal does, that "the first
three and one-half years are not part of the Tribulation period" because God's wrath
does not start until "considerably further" into the 70th week. In his words,
"the seals are not God's wrath; they are God's promise of eternal protection during
man's wrath." Morever, "the first five seals relate to man's activity under the
controlling influence of Satan. God's wrath has not yet begun." But this is not
entirely true, for the seals also reflect the judgment of the sovereign God. All seven
seals are broken by Christ, and the riders of the first four seals and their accompanying
judgments are initiated by four "living creatures" who descend from the very
presence of God (Rev. 4:6-8). They are responding to divine holiness when they command
these riders, not to "come and see," but simply to "come."

The judgments of these four seals include the sword, famine,
pestilence, and wild beasts, frequently used in Scripture as the expressions of divine
wrath. Indeed, they are all included and named when God calls His "four severe
judgments upon Jerusalem: sword, famine, wild beasts and plague" (Ezek. 14:21). This
is likewise true in Leviticus 26:22, 25; Deuteronomy 28:21-25; Jeremiah 15:2-3; 16:4;
Ezekiel 5:12, 17, and many other passages. It is a denial of Scripture to declare the
first four seals the activity of men rather than judgment from God. And a rapture placed
after the first six seals would certainly not be a "pre-wrath rapture."

THE GREAT TRIBULATION

Rosenthal also has peculiar and erroneous views relating to "the
Great Tribulation." Similar to the first four seals, he makes the Great Tribulation
"the persecution of God's elect by wicked men," namely, man's wrath against man,
but never God's wrath against man. He limits the Great Tribulation by declaring that it
will be the third quarter of the seven-year period, and that somehow even these days will
be "shortened." He fails to relate the Great Tribulation to the detailed
descriptions of the Book of Revelation. One can only conclude that if the first four seals
are "the beginning of sorrows," and the day of the Lord begins with the opening
of the seventh seal, then the Great Tribulation which comes between must be limited to the
brief compass of the fifth and sixth seal. This is exactly Rosenthal's position,
illustrated by a chart on page 161. With such a view he stands alone. It finds no adequate
place for the detailed teaching of Christ in Matthew 24:9-26 and makes the Great
Tribulation simply the activity of Antichrist rather than judgment from God. Then to
Rosenthal, the rest of the seven years, the final quarter, starts with Revelation 8:1 and
becomes "the day of the Lord" or the final day of the Lord's wrath.

Rosenthal is in serious trouble when he limits the Great Tribulation to
the third quarter of the seven-year period. Christ linked the Great Tribulation with the
action of Antichrist defiling the Jewish temple by setting up his image to receive
worship, in fulfillment of the "abomination which makes desolate" in Daniel
9:27. This event in the middle of the "week" is the sign for the Jews to flee
from the wrath of Satan, from whom they must be protected three and one-half years
"from the face of the serpent" (Rev. 12:14). Thus the "time of
trouble" for Israel (Dan. 12:1) and the desolation of "the great
tribulation" predicted by Christ (Matt. 24:21) must extend for at least three and
one-half years and not for a period of 21 months.

Indeed, the finishing of Israel's "rebellion" and the end of
the Antichrist's "desolation" are linked with the entirety of the 70 weeks and
not with a small portion of it (Dan. 9:24, 27). Gabriel testified that the Antichrist's
"war" with Israel should last until the "end" of the period under
consideration, evidently with a "flood" of divine judgment (v. 26). The
Antichrist will make war with Israel and all the saints, until he is judged and they
possess the kingdom (7:22). He will defile the earth and lead the nations in the final
rebellion and war of Armageddon right up to the power and glory of the second coming of
Christ. In a word, Tribulation conditions cannot be limited to one fourth of that
frightful seven-year period.

THE FUTURE OF THE CHURCH

From the perspective of Rosenthal's book, how does all this relate to
the future of the church? In brief, it insists that the church must pass through the first
fourty-two months of the Tribulation period under the pretext that it is only "the
beginning of sorrows." The church must then pass through an additional twenty-one
months of Great Tribulation because divine wrath has not yet been poured out. Later,
Rosenthal has the church back on earth during the seven vials of wrath, for "Christ
will literally return to assume His kingdom at the seventh trumpet," right at the end
of the "70th week." The notion that the seven vials will follow the Second
Coming is clearly stated in Rosenthal's book on page 146 and charted on pages 147 and 276.

Of the seven-year Tribulation the church will miss only the small
portion of 21 months Rosenthal entitles the day of the Lord. So whereas believers will not
experience wrath, they will be on the earth during the severe judgment of the seals,
according to Rosenthal. They will come under the dominion of the Beast and suffer and die
at the hands of the Antichrist (Rev. 13:7), and even be present when the final seven vials
of "God's wrath" are poured out. Little comfort or blessing is in an eschatology
such as this.

All this can be avoided by recognizing that "the
Tribulation," "the Great Tribulation," and "Daniel's 70th week"
are all substantially the same thing, and share identical features. These terms are simply
descriptions of a coming period, not technical names or definitions around which to build
a prophetic theory. While granting that the last half of the Tribulation period is more
severe than the first, it is all designated "great tribulation" (literally in
the Greek, "tribulation, the great one," Rev. 7:14), simply because in the midst
of earth's trials there is no other period like it (Jer. 30:7; Dan. 12:1).
"Tribulation" and "great tribulation" are spoken of together and
clearly equated in Matthew 24:21, 29. These descriptions have to do with the content not
with duration of that period, and certainly do not designate the timing of the rapture.

THE DAY OF THE LORD

Pre-tribulationists normally place the beginning of the day of the Lord
right after the rapture in conjunction with the start of the Tribulation. Rosenthal rather
violently opposes such a placement and makes it "perhaps the single greatest error in
the debate concerning the timing of the Rapture." To him, the day of the Lord must
commence after the Great Tribulation is over. It fills in the final twenty-one months
(half of three and one-half years) of the seven "Tribulation period," beginning
with the opening of the seventh seal. But this misses the fact that there can be only one
completely unprecedented day of sorrow in Israel's future, and Joel 2:1-2 calls it
"the day of the Lord," while Daniel 12:1 calls it Israel's "time of
trouble," and in Matthew 24:21 Christ identified it as "the great
tribulation." The three are one, not three periods that follow in sequence.

Rosenthal rightly reviews the frequent use of "the day of the
Lord" in the Old Testament, but denies that it extends to "the new heavens and
the new earth" according to 2 Peter 3:10-13. He commences it at Revelation 8:1 on the
basis of cosmic disturbances under the sixth seal (Joel 2:30-31; Rev. 6:11-12). He argues
that the day of the Lord's wrath must begin immediately after the church is raptured,
indeed "on the same day," and cites the fact that the Flood began on the day
Noah entered the ark, and fire and brimstone fell out of heaven the day Lot left Sodom.
However, this is weak evidence to help establish a great New Testament doctrine.

A number of Scriptures unite to demonstrate that the day of the Lord
does include the first six seals. While Rosenthal speaks of these seals as the wrath of
man, the beasts of the earth and the heavenly bodies of Revelation 6:8 and 12 are not
under the dominion of man, but of God. The darkness of Amos 5:18-20 matches the darkness
of the sixth seal. The judgment on the proud and lofty in Isaiah 2:12, 17 finds
fulfillment in Revelation 6:15, and the announcement of wrath in Isaiah 13:6-13 and
Zephaniah 1:14-18 finds its counterpoint in Revelation 6:17. Isaiah 2:19 and Revelation
6:15 state that the wicked shall hide in the holes of the rocks and caves of the earth, a
fact far too specific to be lightly ignored. Zephaniah 2:3 calls this period the day of
the Lord's fierce anger, surely fulfilled in substance at Revelation 6:8 with the
destruction of one-fourth of the world's population. It is wrong to declare that the day
of the Lord begins with Revelation 8:1 when its predictions find such clear fulfillment in
the seal judgments of Revelation 6.

How could the day of the Lord come unexpectedly, "as a thief in
the night," if the severe judgments of Revelation 6 must come first? Why could men be
found crying "peace and safety" under such horrendous circumstances? Yet it is
essential to Rosenthal's prophetic system that the day of the Lord begins with the opening
of the seventh seal, which to him signals the end of the Great Tribulation and the moment
of the rapture. It is far better to understand that the rapture precedes the entire
Tribulation period, with the day of the Lord commencing soon thereafter. This is the order
and emphasis of 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5, prime Scriptures on both prophetic themes. This
writer has sought to demonstrate elsewhere that the Old Testament predictions of "the
day of the Lord" and their fulfillment in the Book of Revelation fit together like
hand in glove, including the judgments under the first six seals. Placing the day of the
Lord after the Great Tribulation is erroneous and artificial, and denying that it extends
up to the new heavens and the new earth appears to violate 2 Peter 3:10-13. Certainly the
day of the Lord, the theme of such extensive prophecy, is of greater significance and
extent than twenty-one months or six-hundred thirty days.

Rosenthal's treatment of the three component parts of Daniel's 70th
week is entirely unsatisfactory. His view essentially ignores the first three and one-half
years and artificially distinguishes between the Great Tribulation and the day of the
Lord, compressing each into a mere one-fourth of the Tribulation period. This is a
fractured foundation on which to build any trustworthy conclusions relative to the blessed
hope of Christ's return

SIX EVENTS THAT SET THE TIMING OF THE RAPTURE

Rosenthal dogmatically divides the last half of Daniel's 70th week into
two parts, the Great Tribulation and the day of the Lord. Between the two he places the
rapture, but that is not all he places at that moment of time. So important to Rosenthal
is this prophetic juncture of Tribulation activity that he dedicates to it six chapters,
each with a great prophetic event, all converging at the time of the rapture and
demonstrating that the day of the Lord relates exclusively to the last quarter of the
seven-year period. These are (1) cosmic disturbances, (2) the coming of Elijah, (3) the
day of God's wrath, (4) the sealing of the 144,000, (5) the last trump, and (6) the
apostasy and the man of sin. He holds that the convergence of these six events before the
seventh seal form an "impregnable" argument supporting a "pre-wrath"
rapture three-fourths of the way through the 70th week. Such claims demand careful
scrutiny. The vast majority of students of prophecy are still convinced that the rapture
will be unannounced, unheralded by such signs, dateless but imminent. What then of the six
signs Rosenthal says will be "the prelude of the Rapture of the church and the Day of
the Lord's wrath."

COSMIC DISTURBANCES

There shall be cosmic disturbances, according to Joel 2:31: "The
sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and awesome
day of the Lord comes." Rosenthal identifies this with the sixth seal and uses it to
date the rapture and the beginning of the day of the Lord. But that can hardly be
dogmatized, for the predicted Tribulation will not be limited to one display of cosmic
power (cf. Rev. 8:10-12; 11:19; 16:8, 21), making Rosenthal's argument uncertain at best.
In Matthew 24:27, Christ placed yet another great cosmic disturbance after the 70th week
when He stated that He shall appear with clouds and great glory and Israel shall mourn as
they finally identify Him as the long-awaited Messiah (v. 30).

Indeed if there must be a cosmic disturbance before the day of the Lord
can commence, let it be during a brief transitional period after the rapture but before
the announcement of the Antichrist. In Scripture such transitional periods are not hard to
find. There was a period of fifty days between Calvary and Pentecost, between
"law" and "grace." Rosenthal himself makes much of a transition of
seventy-five extra days between the 70th week and the setting up of Christ's kingdom. The
whole Church Age was thrust between prophecies of the two advents of Christ, as foretold
in the Old Testament. Undoubtedly there will be time for the Great White Throne judgment
between the millennial kingdom and the eternal kingdom. Similarly there is no urgency that
demands a tight chronology of events following the rapture, and so Rosenthal's argument
concerning heavenly activity finds a ready answer. Indeed the immediate context of the
prophecy he uses from Joel 2:30-32 seems to relate the heavenly wonders more to the coming
of the messianic kingdom than to a pre-wrath cosmic disturbance (cf. Matt. 24:29).

THE COMING OF ELIJAH

Next Rosenthal teaches that Elijah must come, and if that occurs before
a pre-tribulational rapture, "the doctrine of imminence is once again
destroyed." He is not sure if the two witnesses are Moses and Elijah or Enoch and
Elijah, or whether it is Elijah in the flesh or merely one in the spirit and likeness of
Elijah. He supports the view that Elijah will reappear and have a ministry during the last
three and one-half years of the Tribulation. Since the witnesses die in the sixth trumpet
after a full three and one-half years of witness, this makes it mandatory to place the
seven vials of the wrath of God (according to Rosenthal's chronology) after the second
coming of Christ a radical view Rosenthal propounds and illustrates on his charts.

Rosenthal makes much of Malachi 4:5-6, which seems to relate to the
second coming of Christ when He comes to "smite the land with a curse," rather
than to an earlier manifestation of the day of the Lord adjacent to the rapture. It must
be noted also that, as recorded in Matthew 11:14, Christ declared that in a potential
sense Elijah had already come in the person of John the Baptist. But if Malachi was indeed
predicting the coming of one of the future two witnesses, the most probable understanding
is that the prophecy places their coming early in the prophetic "week" before
the day of the Lord is fully come. There is nothing here to date the rapture, even if one
assumes it should be dated.

THE DAY OF GOD'S WRATH

Next Rosenthal uses the wrath of God to prove that pre-tribulationism
has a problem, "larger than big---it is mountainous and unscalable." He makes
the expression "the great day of his wrath is come" (Rev. 6:17, KJV) to mean,
not a past experience, but a prediction of "an event about to occur." This, he
declares, is a glaring problem for pre-tribulation rapturism, for "God's wrath cannot
be understood to include the first six seals." "Wrath is impending. It is about
to happen; it has not yet occurred."

But the real problem lies at the door of Rosenthal. For he constantly
asserts that the outpoured wrath of God does not commence until Revelation 8:1, the
seventh seal, which immediately introduces the unprecedented judgments of the seven
trumpets. However, his prophetic system is embarrassed, if not refuted, by the obvious
fact that one of the strongest references to the wrath of God is recorded in Revelation
6:16-17 in conjunction with the sixth seal. But rather than revising his system, Rosenthal
devotes eight pages of argumentation, endeavoring to prove two points: that this
declaration of outpoured wrath is a prophecy spoken by John, and not an agonizing cry on
the part of the wicked who hide from the face of God in the rocks and the mountains; and
that the use of the Greek aorist in the expression "the great day of his wrath is
come" demonstrates that it "refers, not to a past event, but to an event about
to occur, and that in concert with the opening of the seventh seal."

Even a casual reading of Revelation 6:12-17 reveals that the cry in
verses 16-17 is a scream of terror from the wicked, rebellious human leaders who have
endured war and famine, death and destruction, a shattering earthquake and a frightful
disruption of heavenly bodies under the earlier seal judgments. Obviously they are
responding to past judgments and not judgments yet to come, for wicked men have no ability
to speak a prophecy. True the aorist tense normally has no time significance. But the verb
h\lqen is in the aorist tense and indicative mood. When this occurs it refers to a past
not a future action. So the proper translation is "the great day of his wrath is
come, " or as the vast majority of translators put it, "the great day of his
wrath has come." It is a major error to force the translation to declare, "the
great day of his wrath will come." One can only conclude that this strong reference
to the wrath of God is the direct response of the wicked to their shattering experience
under the first six seals, and not a veiled prophecy of coming trumpet judgments.

Besides being in error in this matter, Rosenthal proceeds to make
matters worse by making the seals a symbol of ownership and protection, as though that is
what God is doing in Revelation 6. While ownership and protection are certainly true for
the church through the sealing ministry of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30), it is not even
vaguely related to the Lion of the tribe of Judah loosing the seven seals of the book of
Tribulation judgment

THE SEALING OF THE 144,000

The fourth pillar Rosenthal uses to support his view on the time of the
rapture relates to the sealed 144,000 and the "multitude which no man could
number," both found in Revelation 7. He holds that the 144,000 Jews are "sealed
for protection" from God's wrath, but not sealed for witness and evangelism. A more
normal view is that Israel is beginning to turn back to the Lord, and that these are
sealed for service and evangelism to fulfill their destiny as God's witnesses and "a
light to the Gentiles" (Isa. 42:6; 43:10, 12; 49:6)

Rosenthal is not sure if they are regenerated, saying that it is
"a matter of speculation." He flatly rejects the traditional view, as expressed
by Walvoord, that they represent "the godly remnant of Israel on earth in the great
tribulation." He at least implies their redemption when he says, "The 144,000
must be sealed for protection to go through the Day of the Lord... God will not leave
Himself without a people on earth."

Rosenthal immediately focuses attention on "the great multitude
which no man could number" and makes this important identification: "This great
multitude represents the true church which goes into the 70th week of Daniel. They are
raptured at the end of the Great Tribulation but before the Day of the Lord begins."
Here, finally, he reveals the rapture of the church, three-fourths of the way through the
70th week, just before the day of the Lord, and identifies it with the "innumerable
multitude."

But the 70th week is a precise period of seven years, each half of
which is forty-two months, or 1,260 days. Thus from the Antichrist's covenant with Israel
there will be, Rosenthal implies, 1,260 plus 630 days; a total of 1,890 days. From the
beginning of the 70th week, the date of the rapture is precisely set. And if Rosenthal is
correct that the 144,000 are "God's people," yet distinct from the
"innumerable multitude," and they go through the day of the Lord which is the
"wrath of God," then added to all this confusion is a partial rapture.

However, the innumerable multitude is not like the church, which will
go to heaven as a group at the rapture. Rather, they are martyrs who one at a time lay
down their lives throughout the seven-year period. The Greek present tense in Revelation
7:14 stresses that they "continually come" out of great Tribulation, and
obviously do not go to heaven as a single group. It is likewise strange, if they do indeed
represent the church, that John could not recognize them, for John was an apostle of
Christ, a member of the early church and part of its essential foundation. Also the church
is composed of all believers since Pentecost, and cannot be limited solely to Tribulation
martyrs.

Let it be said as gently as possible: identification of the church with
the great multitude of the Tribulation is wrong and in fact is radical eschatology. It
teaches that the rapture is after the Tribulation, which is post-tribulationalism. It
implies a divided church, some of whom are raptured while 144,000 of God's people go
through the time of God's wrath. And though Rosenthal does not count up the exact number
of days, his dating of the rapture is so precise that he has fallen into the trap of
advocating a date-setting system.

THE LAST TRUMP

For his fifth supporting pillar Rosenthal turns to 1 Corinthians
15:51-52, calling it the clearest text in all the Word of God for determining the timing
of the rapture. The four words, "at the last trump," reveal in the clearest way
the "precise occasion" when the rapture of the church will occur. He points out
correctly that both mid-tribulationists and post-tribulationists identify the rapture
position with the "last trump." But pursuing his withering attack on
pre-tribulationism, he declares, "Pre-tribulation rapturists do not make strong
appeals to Paul's statement that the Rapture will occur before the last trump to support
their position... If they mention 1 Corinthians 15 in a Rapture discussion, it is brief
and without determinative significance." This is a highly prejudiced and erroneous
statement.

While he does have a good discussion of the use of trumpets in the
ritual of Judaism, he is content to make an emphatic statement which he supports by
italics but not by evidence: "The last trump will be nothing more, nothing less and
nothing different than the final, climactic, eschatological outpouring of the wrath of
God." In Rosenthal's thinking, this makes the "last trump" the equivalent
of the entire day of the Lord. He declares that the rapture will occur "at the last
trump," but also that "Christ will literally return to assume His kingdom at the
seventh trumpet." This makes the "last trump" a period of twenty-one
months, rather than a point in time to signal the rapture. This confusing position is
obviously unacceptable. Rosenthal then returns to his main thesis, that the rapture must
occur at the opening of the seventh seal and immediately before the beginning of God's
wrath.

This writer prefers a more simple solution: The "last trump"
is not an Old Testament trumpet of Jewish ritual, nor the same as the seventh trumpet of
Tribulation judgment. It is a unique trumpet which sounds for the church at the rapture,
which is at the last trump (and not before the last trump as Rosenthal claims). There are
evidently two trumpet blasts, one for the dead and another for the living. Hence the
living are raptured at the second, which is the "last trump." While this view
may be too simple for some tastes, it emphasizes that the "trump" is a joyful
signal and not a dreaded period of time. It records that the dead in Christ and living
believers are raised in quick sequence, to enjoy reunion and recognition together in the
presence of Christ. Its purpose is not to reveal the time of the rapture, a subject which
God has chosen not to reveal. It does give assurance that those who have died in the Lord
have not missed the rapture; if anything, they enjoy a slight time advantage because they
are caught up just before the living (1 Thess. 4:13-18).

THE APOSTASY AND THE MAN OF SIN

The last of these supporting evidences for Rosenthal's prophetic
program is given in chapter 15. This reviewer found it to be a strange mingling of truth,
speculation, and falsehood. Equally troubling is Rosenthal's stepped-up attack against
pre-tribulationism, assigning it "impossible-to-resolve problems" when it is
examined in the light of 2 Thessalonians 2. It is claimed that these leave
"pre-tribulation rapturism mortally wounded," and in addition he sounds his
usual denial of imminency.

In brief what is true includes the foreshadowing of the Antichrist by
the blasphemy and hatred of Israel under the Syrian leader, Antiochus Epiphanes.
Speculative is his view of the Antichrist, who "once lived and ruled over a nation,
then died, and will be raised to rule over the eighth empire." Also
"doubtful" is his claim that all his evidence is "clear and
compelling." That which is false is more plentiful. It involves his declaration that
in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, "the apostasy to which Paul referred ... will involve
Israel, not the church." While the normative view of this passage is that the
"apostasy" is a widespread departure from true biblical faith in the end time,
in the light of 1 Timothy 4:1-3, Rosenthal insists that it is "a specific,
definitive, identifiable event," "when many of the Jews will totally abandon the
God of their fathers in the same way they did in the days of Antiochus Epiphanes."
This opinion he primarily supports, not from Scripture, but from various quotations from
the Apocrypha.

Moreover, Rosenthal declares, the apostasy has a "very specific
and limited meaning," a "total abandonment of Jehovah for a heathen god."
Hence he concludes that the falling away of 2 Thessalonians 2:3 is an identifiable event
at a specific point of time, limited to Israel, and associated with the Antichrist and his
defiling the temple in Jerusalem at the midpoint of the Tribulation. The main thrust of
all of this is that the day of the Lord cannot come until the second half of the
Tribulation, "and the Rapture, which occurs at the very outset of the Day of the
Lord, cannot possibly pre-tribulational." He concludes that this leaves
pre-tribulation rapturism "mortally wounded."

These are highly questionable conclusions. Paul was not discussing a
point of time or a final apostasy on the part of Israel, but a spiritual condition among
professing Christians. In his previous epistle he had taught the Thessalonians that the
dead in Christ had not missed the rapture and that living believers would not endure the
wrath of the day of the Lord. Now in his second epistle, he was explaining that they had
not entered the day of the Lord for several reasons. The Restrainer had not yet been
removed, the final apostasy had not yet taken place, and the Antichrist with his world
dominion had not yet emerged. All this is a direct refutation of post-tribulational
thinking, including the view of Rosenthal.

Moreover, almost every point of the summary chart on page 197 is open
to question. A comparison with the chart on page 147 reveals that Rosenthal contradicts
himself on the extent of God's wrath and the time of the second coming of Christ. While
his sincerity may be beyond question, many of his definitions appear to be homemade and
supporting evidence is completely inadequate. It is part of the teaching ministry of the
Holy Spirit to reveal to believers "things to come" (John 16:13), which normally
produces within the church of Christ a certain agreement, a godly consensus even in the
interpretation of prophetic truth. While believers do not always agree on the details, it
is rare when truth must stand absolutely alone

It is here contended that Rosenthal is in serious error when he
attempts to set the time of the rapture three-fourths of the way through the seven years
of judgment and wrath, some 1,890 days after the Antichrist makes his unparalleled
covenant with Israel. Among evangelical Christians from all major rapture perspectives,
Rosenthal walks an isolated path when he asserts that these six signs unite in setting the
timing of the rapture. Believers are to watch for Christ's coming and live accordingly,
for it is their blessed and purifying hope, evidently next on the prophetic program of
God. The Lord's people should not be confused by vehement argumentation designed to set
the day of His appearing, adding yet a fifth and doubtful position to an issue that has
already been subjected to more than its share of debate.

THE PRE-WRATH POSITION

This closing section of the book consists of five chapters designed to
give final justification for Rosenthal's unique position and a conclusive knockout blow
against pre-tribulationism. In the judgment this reviewer, who has followed the literature
of the Rapture/Tribulation debate closely for nearly fourty years, these final arguments
as well as many of the former, range somewhere between "curious" and
"radical." But those who consider them must exercise considerable caution, for
they can be rightly evaluated only by those well established in biblical theology and well
read in the area of eschatology. As always, the biblical rule is to "examine
everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good" (1 Thess. 5:21), with much
prayer and with strong dependence on the illuminating ministry of the Holy Spirit (John
16:13; 1 Cor. 2:10-12).

Chapter 16 discusses the primary Greek words used for the return of
Christ, in parallel with much that has already been written on this subject in the rapture
literature. Rosenthal argues that there is only one "coming," with the important
feature that it includes not only the rapture but a "continuous presence" during
which Christ judges the wicked in the day of the Lord. It also includes His final return
in glory.

"The Lord's coming... is a comprehensive whole. There is only one
Second Coming. It includes the Rapture of the church, the outpouring of God's wrath during
the Day of the Lord, and Christ's physical return in glory."

Furthermore Rosenthal holds that the "coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ with all His saints" (1 Thess. 3:13) does not speak of Christ returning to
earth with the "dead in Christ" or with raptured living saints, but rather His
coming with His "holy ones," namely, angelic beings. All this introduces another
major problem.

Rosenthal does not explain the destiny of the church at the rapture.
What will happen to all the raptured saints, both dead and living, in the 630-day interval
when Christ has a "continuous presence" and is pouring out His wrath on the
wicked? The position of this book demands that the church is not on earth during the time
of outpoured wrath. But they are not raptured to heaven, for to Rosenthal that would imply
"two comings." Will the church triumphant which meets Christ "in the
clouds" continue to float about in those clouds for one-fourth of a seven-year period
while Christ has a "continuous presence" and performs His work of judgment on
earth below? It is most significant that Rosenthal rejects the idea of raptured saints
going to "the Father's house." Indeed, except for one mention of John 14:1-3 in
a quotation of John Sproule, who calls it one of several "debatable Scriptures,"
Rosenthal does not refer to this important passage at all, for it cannot be brought into
harmony with his prophetic scheme. What will happen to the church during Rosenthal's
twenty-one month "day of the Lord?" He gives no answer to this. He simply
affirms that there will be one "coming," which embraces everything from the
rapture through the last quarter of the 70th week, right up to the final manifestation of
the King.

A further questionable view concerns the "sign" of Christ's
coming, requested by the disciples in Matthew 24:3. Rosenthal writes that this sign will
be "the manifestation of the glory of God" at His coming when "the natural
light will be turned off and the supernatural light (God's glory) will be turned on."
Most observers would locate this event within the eternal state following the millennial
kingdom and the Great White Throne judgment (Rev. 21:23-25), and not with the opening of
the sixth seal. Yet Rosenthal argues that this "sign" is sufficiently clear that
"the doctrine of imminency is destroyed by the question posed by the disciples."

Chapter 17 introduces the often-debated text of Revelation 3:10 and the
disputed phrase, "kept from the hour." Rosenthal states that the dispute among
commentators stems from the fact that they "have not generally understood that there
are three sections to the seventieth week---the beginning birth pangs, the Great
Tribulation, and the Day of the Lord."

This reviewer is disposed to agree with Rosenthal that "each
scholar is inclined to interpret this phrase to substantiate his view of the
Rapture," as he himself does. Post-tribulationists understand "kept from the
hour" as divine protection through the Tribulation, while pre-tribulationists
interpret it as exemption from the Tribulation. The latter builds a stronger case, for the
verse does not promise protection within the hour but exemption from the hour itself. This
point has been well defended in pre-tribulational literature.

Surprisingly Rosenthal takes an different approach to the issue,
declaring that this watershed Bible passage in the rapture debate "in fact has
nothing whatsoever to do with the Rapture." For the promise of Revelation 3:10
"refers to protection from the Great Tribulation, which occurs before the Rapture and
the Day of the Lord begins." Since he believes "the hour of temptation"
begins in the middle of the 70th week, some who remain steadfast in the face of adversity
"will be kept from that hour... by physical removal" (a partial rapture?), while
"others will be kept 'through the hour of temptation' by direct, divine
protection." So Rosenthal removes this promise from application to the rapture,
applies both viewpoints to the prior Great Tribulation, and further confuses his readers
by declaring that this promise to the church of Philadelphia does not belong to all
Christendom. "It is only the church of Philadelphia which is promised exemption from
'the hour of temptation.'" At best, he is suggesting that the Scriptures promise,
"I will keep you in one way or another from the last 25% of the hour."

In chapter 18 Rosenthal asks the question, "Are Pre-tribulation
Rapture Arguments Really Unanswerable?" While admitting that "pre-tribulationism
has more than its share of notables of the faith," he adds that "church history
is replete with men of distinction who had blind spots in their theology." Then he
gives eleven pre-tribulational arguments and his rebuttal of each, taking what comfort for
his own position he can from each issue.

Space does not permit a further discussion of these arguments, nor a
rebuttal of Rosenthal's rebuttals. Suffice it to say that some of the arguments are not
entirely representative of normal pre-tribulational positions, and many valid
pre-tribulational arguments are not introduced at all. Both Walvoord and Pentecost present
a substantial summary of pre-tribulational arguments, and these issues have been
abundantly discussed in the literature on the rapture debate. Moreover Rosenthal's
rebuttals are largely a restatement of positions earlier defended.

According to pre-tribulationalism the twenty-four elders of Revelation
4 represent the church in glory before the Tribulation. This position has been defended by
the present writer in Kept from the Hour, and by other pre-tribulational writers.
Rosenthal argues that the elders are not the church at all, but rather "they
represented the redeemed of the Old Testament economy," even "redeemed
Israel."

But Israel is clearly identified in the Book of Revelation and except
for 14:1-5 is always seen as being on earth and not as a unique group in heaven. However,
the church, referred to 19 times in Revelation 1-3, does not appear on earth at all in
chapters 4-18, the critical Tribulation passage. It is more than a coincidence that a new
group appears in heaven and is presented in great detail before the opening of the first
seal. All the evidence identifies these 24 elders as representing the raptured church. For
they have been redeemed out of many nations and clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
They have been crowned at the judgment seat of Christ and are now seated in the presence
of the Lamb. Everything said in the song of the elders is true of the church. All the
details argue that at this point the church rather than Israel is in view.

Also the normal pre-tribulational position is that the Restrainer (2
Thess. 2:6-8) is the Holy Spirit, removed before the open revelation of the Antichrist,
and taking the church with Him back to the Father's house (John 14:2-3, 16). The normal
post-tribulational position is that the influence that restrains human wickedness is some
aspect of human law or government. Rosenthal rejects both of these, declaring that he who
restrains until "he be taken out of the way" is actually the angel Michael, who
"steps aside" and no longer hinders the Antichrist in his persecution of Israel.
This appears to be the very reverse of the teaching of Scripture that Michael will defend
and deliver Israel in the coming unprecedented "time of trouble" (Dan. 12:1; cf.
Rev. 12:7-16). He will not abandon them in the midst of Israel's worst hour, but will save
them from it (Jer. 30:7).

In chapter 19 Rosenthal asks, "Why This View Now?" He defends
the thesis that his view is neither new nor novel, but only now systematized. His primary
defense is from Daniel 12:4, which teaches that Daniel's book would be sealed "to the
time of the end," when the knowledge of the book would be greatly increased. He draws
the conclusion that it should not be surprising that "a new, more detailed systematic
approach to the timing of the Rapture and the events of the seventieth week would be
forthcoming."

While it is self-evident that much of Daniel through history has been
"sealed," with far greater understanding of his prophecies being achieved as
"the time of the end" approaches, this writer takes exception to Rosenthal's
idea that this sealing means that "God was guaranteeing its accuracy." Accuracy,
not for one, but for every book in the canon of Scripture is guaranteed by the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21) and does not require additional sealing. Nor can Daniel
12:4 be used to justify every new prophetic theory to come along. Nor does it justify
Rosenthal's particular view of the timing of the rapture, for the rapture is a New
Testament "mystery" (1 Cor. 15:51), not found at all in the Old Testament, even
in so wonderful a book as Daniel. It is self-serving for Rosenthal to claim support for
his time of the rapture theories from Daniel 12:4

A problem runs throughout this book. Continually Rosenthal quotes
Scripture, which is commendable, but almost invariably in the midst of the quotation he
interjects his own definition or explanation, sometimes in brackets and sometimes in
parentheses. The impression is given that the reader cannot understand each Scripture
passage unless he is helped along or prodded by Rosenthal. While separate commentary is
legitimate, Scripture is inspired by the Spirit with the potential of being taught by the
Spirit, even "the deep things of God" (1 Cor. 2:10-12). This is even true of
prophetic material, for "when He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into
all the truth . . . and He will disclose to you what is to come" (John 16:13).

Rosenthal's last chapter incorporates a final summary of his various
positions, and also a final abrasive attack against pre-tribulationism and some of its
leaders. The chapter sets forth the "pre-wrath rapture" view as a "catalyst
for holy living,"without recognizing that much of that catalyst is lost if forty-two
months of "sorrows" and another twenty-one months of battle and martyrdom from
the Beast must come first.

It is reasonable to inquire about the effect of these new prophetic
views on their author as he prepared them in written form for the Christian public. For
this, it is essential to return to the opening chapter, perhaps the most dismal portion of
the entire book. Rosenthal testifies that the writing of his book caused him "the
most difficult, tension-filled, heart-wrenching two and a half years" of his life. He
speaks of sleepless nights and excruciating tension, of strained and somber board
meetings, of agony of soul and the trauma of lost friendships and a lost job.

While readers respond to this agony with deep regret and empathy, it is
hardly the mark of being taught and led by the Spirit. One would think that a new
clarification of a divisive problem of eschatology which has troubled the church for more
than a hundred years, with the Spirit finally fulfilling the promise of Daniel 12:4 and
shedding new light and understanding, would be accompanied by the joy of illumination and
the peace of divine guidance. Such was evidently not the case.

Rosenthal should be commended for his diligence and thanked with
appreciation for every insight which bears the clear stamp of truth. But the considered
conclusion of this reviewer is that Rosenthal's published views are a distortion of
prophetic truth, sometimes curious, sometimes strange, and frequently false. Taken as a
whole, they are an unworthy replacement for the blessed hope of Christ's imminent return
for the church at the rapture.

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